This article examines the Roswell Incident—an event that became the cornerstone of modern ufology and conspiracy theories about the US government concealing contact with extraterrestrial civilizations. Based on analysis of historical documents, official US Air Force reports, and journalistic investigations, the true chronology of the July 1947 events and their subsequent mythologization is reconstructed. Particular attention is devoted to Project Mogul as the actual source of the debris found, the role of ufologists in creating the legend, and the transformation of a small New Mexico town into the epicenter of a global tourism industry built on belief in aliens.
This article examines the Roswell incident — the event that became the cornerstone of modern ufology and conspiracy theories about the U.S. government concealing the fact of contact with extraterrestrial civilizations. Based on analysis of historical documents, official Air Force reports, and journalistic investigations, the true chronology of the July 1947 events and their subsequent mythologization is reconstructed. Special attention is paid to Project Mogul as the real source of the recovered debris, to the role of ufologists in creating the legend, and to the transformation of a small town in New Mexico into the epicenter of a global tourism industry based on belief in aliens.